Stirring
by Her Head In the Clouds
Summary: A sky transport carrier goes down, and only two survive. But where their old lives ended, their new ones began. It just took some time... AerrowPiper
1. Chapter 1

_A/n: __~Alright, so I pretty much failed my challenge again aw. I thought I could make this story a one-shot and finish it by tonight but then I realised that I'd already written so much and it wasn't even at the climax yet. So I thought, why not break it up and save you the trouble of reading a 15-page story that's not yet even fully completed from this point? :) So please, take this as one fic. for my challenge. This idea has been swimming in my head for such a long time now and even though many,many peope have already used this similar scenario, I wanted to give it a shot. So I hope you like. Two more to go!~_

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_::Dedications to who, to who... well, with the point of my progress here on the site, I guess it goes out to all you really :) To everyone whose been keeping tabs on my work or if even you've read only one story for kicks, you don't know how happy I am to be sharing it with you. I've barely opened this account for 5 days ago and I've already had so many story hits, talked with/heard from many sweet fellow users here and have already bookmarked a hefty amount of great work :) So thank you so much, you're all awesome! Special shout out to Amethyst - who, although I can't reach by PM, has been a swell reader that I am grateful to.~_

* * *

**_Stirring_**

**_July 10, 2010_**

**_by: Her Head in the Clouds_**

**Breaking news**

* * *

A camera comes into focus on a frantic young woman, dressed in a business suit and holding a microphone in her hand. She is among hysterics, surrounded by people who are fleeting behind her in their distress. A big episode of terrible sorts is happening around her. There is smoke and fire, but mostly wreckage.

"Good evening, I'm Linda Yentl and we're live from Heroes Port where _another_ large sky transport vehicle has just crashed… Scattered all around me is debris that was blown from the airborne transit just minutes ago – there are shattered windows, twisted scraps of metal, and if you can see behind me, a long drag in the dirt that was made when that carrier _hit_ the ground and _skidded_ to a stop nearly _225_ metres from its initial impact site. With several members of the Red Eagles just coming in to survey the damage, we know that it is now the _fourth_ sky-bus to crash here on Terra Atmosia, making it now the most amount of sky-to-ground collisions of any terra in any near quadrant. It is most likely believed that _another_ Cyclonian squad may be responsible for the carrier's shot down but as we speak, our Sky Knights and volunteer rescue crews are searching for survivors…"

**The next day**

* * *

"Good evening, I'm Linda Yentl. Just yesterday, a massive sky-bus transporter carrying 34 passengers crashed along the streets of Heroes Port, the _fourth_ to be shot down yet again by Cyclonian Talons on Terra Atmosia. Several rescue teams and members of the Red Eagles were quick to the scene, arriving within minutes of its collision and while no intensive investigation has yet to take place on the technical causes for its fall from the sky, witnesses, along with Sky Knights who were surveying the skies at the time of the carrier's descent, believe more than anything that it was the result of a stun blast from an approaching Cyclonian battleship."

Witness: "I saw it through my telescope, I did! My wife begged me to stay home yesterday after the terra's alert horn went off on Monday for us take cover. One stun blast and it was fallin' out the sky like a star; smoke and flames everywhere!"

Witness: "That carrier was doing nothing harmless! H-How could they just sh-shoot it? There are men, women, and children, _babies, families_ for Atmos' sake on that ship! They ain't fighting in this war! How could they just _shoot it down_?"

"Stress and fear are already escalating in this development as it was discovered that the carrier was holding over 30 people during the time of its depart from Terra Mesa. It was on an original course set to travel directly over Terra Atmosia and head west for Terra Zooma where it was to deliver the passengers for safety. As we know, they are still working around the clock to sort through the debris, but unfortunately as the numbers stand, nearly 20 of the people discovered to have ridden on this sky-bus are all dead. They are still looking for any survivors…"

"Wait…wait! I've just been told that – yes! Yes, they have just found two survivors in the crash. Thank heavens! Oh… now, now _both _are in critical condition. One is a male survivor, the other female and… remarkable, they're two children! Two children have just been found alive in the crash! My goodness! The Red Eagles will be quick to look for the reminder of their family members but as we speak, relative contacts are already looking to be searched for them…"

_Minutes later..._

"Linda Yentl, back with development on the sky-bus crash in Heroes Port and I am sorry to say to our humble viewers that the severity of this crash has been more than our rescue teams have hoped to expect. Of all 34 passengers expected to have been transported to Terra Zooma just yesterday, only two have miraculously survived the ordeal. Both children, to be around 8-9 years of age, are now in extensive care at the hospital but both are suffering from critical conditions from the crash. Although they are currently undergoing emergency surgery, doctors were easy to contact us on the status and they say that they do have a more than likely chance of recovering fully. Our hearts go out to all the families of the victims in this terrible turn of events…"

**Three weeks later…**

* * *

The terra's attention on the sky bus crash soon ended.

The flowers stopped and so did the get well cards. The sympathy notes stopped as well.

People still wondered if those children were going to be okay and hoped for the best but they moved on with their daily lives, with the war currently swirling around them, they went on without being affected by it. The hysteria about riding transport carriers was over, this tragic memory going to the back of their minds, as they let themselves get absorbed in what was truly important with the concern on the national state of security.

An eye flitted open. Like a broken wing, his eyelid was sensitive and wary with the lights, aware about blinding his eye. After first, he didn't want to try opening it again. He felt dizzy, and it hurt the first time he'd awoken and tried to crack them open easy. He was like that – always ready to get up the instant he woke from a sleep, ready to see the world through his expressive green irises and welcome it with widespread arms like his mother had always told him to. But in this moment he didn't feel that way at all, didn't feel good. Instead, he felt like something was terribly wrong, and the pit of his tummy was turning. He wondered if he was standing near the edge of that cliff close to his home again and was just closing his eyes to feel the feeling. He hoped not. His mom would get mad.

"_Mhmhmm…mmssm…smbmmsmhmm…_"

He suddenly heard sounds. Were they voices? He couldn't tell. They were sounds, though. Strange fuzzy mewling sounds like when he covered his mouth with a piece of cloth and tried to talk through it for a good laugh. Is that what it was? Who was doing it?

Then the sounds transformed into mumbles… Evolved into soft whispers... Eventually they became words, words spoken in a hushed tone not in secrecy, but the way they sounded when someone didn't want to bug him while he was sleeping when he was actually pretending.

That's when Aerrow realised he was lying on his back. He could feel the soft comfort of a warm, fleece blanket folding gently against him and rubbing his bare back every time he twitched. He wondered what color it was. Purple? Some girly colour maybe, it was too soft to be a blanket that belonged to him.

Curiosity got the better of Aerrow and with the daring he always prized himself to have, he couldn't take it any longer. Steeling himself for a surprise, he tensed his body, took a sharp inhale, held it, and moved slowly.

_'Just like Robin always says before I practice riding my bike…' _he thought sombrely_._

Slowly and cautiously, he peeled his eyelids apart.

The first sting of light, a bright _bright_ light broke his will and before he could even think of what it could be, the breath he was holding passed through his nose violently and caused him to shut his eyes again tightly. So much for being brave. He let a moment pass.

Aerrow tried again. This time, he opened his eyes to find that he was in a world he had never been in before.

Never in his life had he seen such a place so, so… _clean_. He suspected he might've been in a girl's house since one of his friends told him once how they didn't like to get dirty with boys in the dirt. It was true, most of the girls he knew back home were never around when they wrestled in the mud or hung out in the trees. Well, a couple did, but he thought _they_ acted more like boys than they acted like girls. He had a sinking feeling in his tummy. In a girl's house…?

Then he took another look around the room and realised that it couldn't have been a room in a house at all… there were things it had that made it was just too high-tech. Unless it was like one of those futuristic homes that his uncle once told him about, he didn't think anyone would want to live in a room like this, with all the bits of technology beeping and stringing to the floor like plastic tree vines and the crystals he could see humming brightly from weird machines . Besides, it was way too _white_.

_'White… white, like that blinding light I saw before we–!'_

Aerrow bit his lip. He suddenly felt cold, felt lost; he had no clue where he was. The last thing he remembered was hearing the voice of the pilot over the intercom and holding a woman's hands, because he was sitting beside her. They weren't even holding each others' hands; they were clutching, _gripping_ to the point that he remembered how much it hurt when she was digging her nails into his skin. He looked down to his hands. Too entranced in the purpling nail marks dotting on his palm, he wasn't aware of the IV needle poking into his wrist.

_'Then the carrier took a sharp turn down, __and then… nothing…'_

Speaking of which, where was that woman? Was she alright? And, where was the nice man with the scraggly green beard who'd given him a can of soda for the trip to Terra Zooma? Where was everybody else; and the sky-bus? Was he there? Was he already _at_ Terra Zooma? His green eyes scanned the room. There was nothing in here except for a curtain that separated him from another part of the room. And hearing beeping machines like on TV shows, he figured that he was somewhere where he needed to be alone.

Again, he asked himself the question. Where was everybody? More concerned with them than himself, he wanted to see if they were okay. Before he could even think to move out of the bed, a woman dressed in a mint green uniform with an ID around her neck came into the room most likely to check on him. Her head was bent, focusing on the clipboard without looking.

Aerrow narrowed his eyes since the first time they'd opened fully to the world around them.

_Sally_, it read on the card. There was a last name as well, but Aerrow only bothered with her first name. It was Sally.

Sally gave a wistful glance to where Aerrow was lying before turning her gaze back to the clipboard in her hands. Aerrow made his mouth a thin line. He waited patiently; he didn't want to be demanding her attention when she had left him to sleep peacefully moments before. He wondered how long he had actually been sleeping…? If and when she looked ready to leave the room, he'd croak her name and get her attention.

Sally was a short woman, with a short auburn hair and a wisp in her bangs. She had a concentrated look fixed on her face but Aerrow could see her eyes jumping back and forth as she read the paper beneath her. They were like honey and wam with an inner kindness he somehow was able to pick up. His heart raced a little as she started to walk toward where he was lying. She still did not see his face; his eyes were open and awake, watching her intently. Instead she was busying herself with fingering something above and behind his head that he couldn't see.

Aerrow furrowed his eyes. What had he gotten himself into? He couldn't take it. He needed to know.

"S…Sa…Sal…" his voice was like a hushed whisper and cracked from being mute for the whole time he was asleep. He'd hoped it would've been louder and stronger.

The young woman jerked and quickly pulled her hand and body away from over his head in fear. If Aerrow wasn't feeling so tired, he would've laughed. She jumped like she'd seen a scorpion fly. He settled for a smile instead.

Looking down to see his grinning face, the young woman froze wide-eyed and open mouthed. It lasted only a second before her expression suddenly melted into one of both a mixture of joy and sorrow. An oxymoron, but Aerrow would never know what that meant at the time. All he knew was that while she looked astounded to see him awake, something in her face told him that she had a secret; a secret she did not maybe want to share.

"Hey… Good morning Aerrow…" She whispered happily. Hesitantly she reached up a hand and placed it upon his cheek, cupping his face softly. Aerrow's smile pushed a bit wider; he suddenly felt a weird sensation on his cheek at where she was touching him. It was almost rough.

That's when he realised he had a bandage there, and it was starting to throb.

Aerrow made a face and instinctively pulled his face away from her touch. He didn't mean to, in fact he liked it. But senses were telling him otherwise and he couldn't fight it. The more he thought about the pain in his face, the more pains began to multiply all over his body. A thump was pounding in the back of his skull; his forehead throbbed; his neck was tense; his collarbone was hurting; his side was aching as was his back; both his legs were numb; and his right arm, the one with the IV he finally realised was poking him with, hurt like everything else but double. He couldn't move it for the life of him.

Aerrow took in a deep breath from these alarming discoveries. He was scared. What had happened? He'd never gotten so many cuts and scrapes to feel _this_ bad! And as he breathed heavily, a weird beeping noise was emitting a loud screech behind his head. It made his ears hurt.

Sally quickly lifted her head to the device above him then dropped it back down to him. Her eyes were wide with alert.

"Alright, Aerrow? Aerrow, honey?" She asked loudly. Aerrow's eyes went to his legs. He couldn't see them; there was a blanket covering them. He continued to breath deeply. It hurt but he couldn't stop.

"Aerrow, look at me. Focus on me, okay? You've got to calm down. Calm down alright? Just breathe more slowly. Do it with me, okay? Breathe…" She made a slow inhale and exhale to which Aerrow was smart enough to follow. They did it a couple more times.

The beeping eventually faded away into the steady beat it was first at, and Aerrow was left to hear only Sally's soothing voice. She looked relieved.

"I'm sorry honey. I didn't mean to startle you. In fact, _you_ startled _me_." She said happily with a warm tone. Aerrow smiled again.

"No… I'm…"

"Ahh…" She interrupted and gently placed a warm palm to his head. "Don't say anything. You need to rest."

"Can you… can you just tell me wh…wh…?"

Sally smiled serenely but her eyes still held a secret.

"I will, honey… I will…"

And before Aerrow could think of any more questions to ask her, he felt what felt like a big cloud loom over sunlight, and his world was shadowed over.

Her face was a blur, and then nothing. When he was finally asleep, Sally sighed. She soothingly rubbed the top of his mop of vibrant red hair.

"It's a start…" she whispered.

* * *

_~First off, I don't know how Robin is. You can choose he should be to Aerrow; friend/family, I initially thought he'd be a friend. And I chose the name Sally because well, I thought it was a nice name for a nurse :) The next chapters to this will come after I finish my challenges for the week. So until then, I hope you liked the beginning of this story :) Until tomrrow._

_Much love, Abby~_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/n: ~Ten thousand apologies for the lateness of this chapter! I hope everyone has been well since my absence (due to school and lack of motivation). I hope the essence of this story is not lost since my prolonged departure and hasn't changed in atmosphere. And please do remind me of spelling errors I may miss because I like them to be pointed out. This chapter has always been with me in my mind it just took longer to get out on paper. So I hope you like it and enjoy! Thanks again to all my friends, my new iPod, and readers for making me continue to love writing fanfictions. This one's dedicated to all those I left behind :] ~_

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**_Stirring: Chapter 2_**

**_May 31, 2011_**

**_by: Her Head in the Clouds_**

**Things take time...  
**

* * *

Aerrow blinked and bit his lip gently. An old habit he picked up from his mom.

'_Physiotherapy_.' It was a weird word that no matter how much he kept trying to say always ended up sounding like, "_Physsssiiithrop-perthy"_ on his tongue, but he always laughed because it made Sally smile. He'd get it with time eventually.

After four weeks of intensive care and daily check ups by his own special team of nurses and head Doctor Andrew, Aerrow was well on his way to getting better. He had a will that Dr. Andrew called "amazing" and a strength that Sally praised as "special" unlike most survivors of war. Although Aerrow was too young to deserve his place in war, he was mature enough to understand what terrible events were currently happening with the Cyclonians. After days of crying and emotional frustration after learning of what had happened to the nice passengers on that sky-transport carrier, his home terra, and how his mom had disappeared, Aerrow eventually found more reason to responsibly continue living as best he could than staying upset. It was another asset about him that Sally, Dr. Andrew, and the other hospital workers saw in Aerrow – his ability to find peace and forgiveness in a world that already took so much from him. Sally would sometimes find him crying quietly to himself or punching his pillow with a rage when no one was seemingly around - but more times he was smiling and laughing than being bitter and she knew without a doubt he would be someone's greatest role model one day. If not hers already.

Aerrow rubbed the back of his neck and smiled shyly up to Sally from his hospital bed. She had brought him back from a trip to the washroom and had just finished laying his body back on the comforter with an elevated lift. She smiled back.

"Are you sure I'll be able to use my legs again after doing the exercises with Dr. Crowe?" He was still unsure but nevertheless still excited that there was more chance. Sally nodded her head.

"Absolutely, honey. Just keep doing those stretches and walks with him and you'll be running around in no time."

Aerrow chuckled and looked up into her face.

"It's weird not remembering how to walk. My legs always feel all tingly." Sally gave him a sad smile. Her face gave him an expression like she was about to cry. He opened his mouth to change the subject and say something funny but she shook her head when she noticed.

"I know... But wasn't it nice of him to give you that walker the other day?" He nodded with a small grin.

"Yeah, Dr. Crowe said after I get the balancing right, I can start taking small steps on my own! And practice around the lobby if I want to." He turned to stare at the silver metal crutch with wheels before he scratched his face in thought.

"I'm kinda scared, Sally. I don't want to do it in front of the people in the lobby."

Sally thought about what he said. He had a right to feel scared. A boy who didn't remember how to walk? He'd feel like a baby and she knew Aerrow wanted to be proud to walk in front of them when he was ready. The hallways were always crowded and with Dr. Crowe's office always closed after six in the evening, he didn't really have anywhere private. She put a finger to her chin and tried to sympathize. Then she smiled and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Would you like me to ask Dr. Andrew if you could practice your walking in here?" Aerrow blinked his green eyes curiously.

"In this room? Are you sure? I don't want to cause any-!" She nodded encouragingly.

"Of course! What do you think? You do have one of the bigger rooms in the hospital, Aerrow. And after we move around some furniture and equipment, you could try. What do you say?"

Aerrow didn't even have to think. He grinned.

"You're the best, Sally!" he said. She replied by taking his small hand and squeezing it.

**Keep at it.  
**

* * *

The rehabilitation in Dr. Crowe's centre went on for another month, so it was a while before Aerrow got to finally use his room for practice. The furniture and the equipment had been cautiously moved nearer to the walls and under Dr. Crowe and Dr. Andrew's blessing, Aerrow could practice with the walker as he liked, so long that he didn't exceed 40 minutes of continuous leg activity (under Dr. Crowe's order) or else rupture the leg muscles that were still tender. But Aerrow was smart. He broke up ten minutes of practising throughout the day so he wouldn't grow too eager or too bored.

The first couple days were tricky. Both Dr. Crowe and Sally had to be on guard and monitor his progress. He fell more times than he could count and always needed help getting back up. But the days progressed. He didn't need so much help after some time. He remembered grinning and cheering himself on when he was able to bend his legs stand back up to lean heavily on the walker and on Dr. Crowe.

"Very, very good, Aerrow!" the doctor commended.

The constant monitoring eventually turned into quick absences, then finally into complete responsibility and trust that he could do it himself. Dr. Crowe stopped coming except for weekly check-ups and Sally left him more frequently to do other tasks. But Aerrow didn't mind, he knew they had other patients now and he didn't want them waiting on him forever. He was more proud than lonely. But sometimes he would lie back and think about other kids his age and wonder where'd all his friends had gone, sometimes wishing for new ones.

**Wish granted.  
**

* * *

One day, weeks into his progress, Sally told him that another kid was going to be sharing his room. He smiled.

"Great! What's his name?" he asked excitedly.

"Her name's Piper" Sally said thoughtfully. Aerrow made a face but then quickly tried to hide it. He'd hoped it was a boy. Sally noticed with her sharp honey eyes and gave him a small smirk before turning around to check the fluid levels of the morphine bag at the other bed.

"Don't worry, Aerrow. She doesn't bite. I'm sure she'll treat you nicely as long as you treat her nice." She turned back to look at him.

Aerrow smiled shyly and nodded his head. Oh well, he had to make the most of it, he decided. Having another kid to talk to _was_ what he secretly wanted after all this time with adults. So maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

How wrong and confused he had been when they wheeled Piper's bed into his room.

The only thing she knew about her from before that moment was that Piper was a girl, his age, and had been on the same sky transport as him when it crashed. But when he saw her face as he currently did, there were new things he could add. He looked on with an intense emerald stare as the doctors and other nurses moved around her fondling machinery, pressing buttons, and writing on clipboards like Sally's. He furrowed his eyebrows. Piper had dark skin, had blue hair, and even though they'd arrived at the hospital together, she didn't look like she was getting better like he was. She was fast asleep, even with all the noise the doctors were making.

Aerrow was concerned. How come she was like that? He knew enough from an old TV show he once saw that sometimes when people came into the hospital like that, sometimes they never woke up. He continued to stare. Her hair was combed down and in a side ponytail. He remembered the sky-transport carrier leaving Terra Mesa and saying it heading for Terra Zooma. Maybe that was where she was from. He had never seen her before on his terra. As he kept watching her sleep, Sally entered the room with her usual clipboard. She turned to watch the commotion before she caught Aerrow staring at Piper. She gave him a sad smile and went over to him.

"Don't worry, Aerrow," she said softly. Aerrow let his gaze go from the sleeping girl to Sally. His eyes still held a reflection of sadness. She nodded understandingly.

"She's going to be all right."

But somehow Aerrow felt that Sally was keeping another secret from him.

Over the next couple of days, Aerrow tried to continue doing his regular routine. He ate when he was supposed to, slept at the same times, had bathroom trips regularly and continued to practice walking around the room. The fact that Piper was sleeping on the other side of the room didn't change him much. Except that he found himself often times standing over her bed and staring at her when no one was around.

At first he tried to be subtle and only made communication with her by holding her hand and squeezing it. He felt he owed it to her to show concern because she was a kid like him and they needed to stick together. It also made him realise that he was much better off than she was currently. Piper couldn't even wake up and that sense of worry and determination to help and protect her as she slept washed over him. So when he was practising his walks, whether people were there or not, he'd idly walk over, clutch her hand, and say _'Hey Piper'_, then turn around and continue. No one thought any different of Aerrow and they smiled.

One day, it started to rain outside and the room turned gray. Aerrow had just finished a small lunch of warm soup and turned to look over at Piper. He never saw her eat or drink anything since she'd arrived. He figured that the doctors probably had a way of giving her food as she slept. He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Come on Piper," he whispered silently to the room. Sally had left him some time ago and no one had come to check on either of them since. The beeping of her heart monitor answered him. His had been taken away weeks ago. He didn't need it anymore.

"I know you can do it. Come on," he whispered again.

Silence.

With a small sigh Aerrow carefully made his way out of his bed and grasped the handles of his walker tightly. The pain in his tailbone and lower back had long since gone, but his thighs and feet still felt numb. Every muscle in the lower half of his body tingled. This was the first time he was breaking his regular walking schedule but he suddenly felt he needed to. He hadn't said more than Piper's name to her ears.

He was determined.

"I don't... know if you can hear me..." he started off slowly. A small burning sensation was rising to his ears. Was it stupid to talk to someone who was sleeping? After he had gotten a good hold on the walker, he pushed it slowly in her direction and practised bending his knees to walk towards her bed.

"I don't know if what I'm saying is ever gonna to reach you, Piper. But..." He watched his legs as he carefully placed one foot in front of the other.

"But I just wanted to let you know that... that I'm here..." After almost a minute he had reached her bedside. He was getting better at his walking. It usually took him longer.

As he stared at her face with a small smile, the steady drone of the heart monitor was his only welcome. After he carefully leaned himself on her bed, he reached out to catch her right hand. It had an IV through it like he once had.

As Aerrow held her hand, he suddenly felt nervous. What was he going to say? What SHOULD he say? All he kept saying was that he was here. Did she even know who HE was? He chuckled to himself and rolled his eyes playfully. Maybe he could start with that.

"Uh... My name is Aerrow, Piper... I'm Aerrow," he said softly. He smiled down to her face although she couldn't see it. _Nice start,_ he thought to himself.

"Uhm... I'm eight years old. Just like you... I... uh, I have red hair. And green eyes... " Aerrow felt more comfortable as he finally began talking to her. He squeezed her hand.

"I hope you wake up soon, Piper. That way, you can talk to me and I won't have to be so lonely in here." He smiled shyly. That sounded weird to say, but it was the honest truth. He liked that he'd confessed it. He furrowed his eyebrows as he continued to stare her face.

"Just hang in there, Piper. You have a friend on the other side." He paused. Then after a moment, he sighed. Maybe that was enough of a message for Piper to understand.

Aerrow looked down at their joined hands.

He felt the tiniest twitch from her. He grinned and stared back into her face.

Yeah, she did understand.

* * *

_Much love, Abby~_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/n: ~Ahh fail! I tried to beat the strike of midnight to have this uploaded for June 1__st__ but editing became my downfall. __But anyway, Voila! Ahh c'est la vie. Aerrow's finding a light in the darkness with Piper. I know it's a bit cliché what with the whole hospital scenario initial meet-up but it just felt like it would work for me. But whatever you decide to feel about it, I hoped you liked at least some concepts of it since as kids, there's no real way to meet one another during a war unless some suffering ensues. There's one more chapter left I have yet to start typing so let me send you off so this story can be completed. Enjoy!_

* * *

_::Dedications personally this time to Amethyst Sparrow, Amozon28, and the anon, angel on wings, for being my first reviewers since my long-bum absence and return to writing. Your reviews were uplifting. You guys keep me young! :)_

* * *

**_Stirring: Chapter 3_**

**_June 2nd, 2011_**

**_by: Her Head in the Clouds_**

**Eleven days later...**

* * *

One twitch became two, and two became three, and the more Aerrow talked, the more certain he became that Piper would wake up one day soon. Sally encouraged him, saying that hearing a familiar voice everyday might jog Piper's mind quicker.

"Who knows Aerrow?" she often teased. "She can probably hear you... And she probably likes hearing your voice." His ears always burned red after that. But it did not hinder him and Aerrow talked to Piper everyday.

She never spoke back but the red head was content with just sitting at her bedside and talking the day away. Sally smiled and said nothing as Aerrow chatted both mindlessly and eagerly with the unconscious girl.

Two weeks in and she still hadn't uttered a word.

"...and Robin _swore _he'd never ridden a heli-scooter before but I know his big cousin Timmy taught him a few tricks!" Aerrow laughed as he finished telling the story. He looked down to Piper's sleeping face for some sign of laughter or at the slightest, a giggle. She didn't. Aerrow sighed but made an encouraging smile.

"Maybe one day you can come with me to Robin's cousin's house and then he can teach us how to ride one of those heli-scooters. What d'you think, Piper? You and me, flying the skies on a heli-scooter..."

As he finished speaking, he quickly reached out a hand over the hospital bed to gently grab her hand. It was still covered in wires and pumping the same amount of fluids into her as it had the day she was wheeled into his room.

He gave it a soft squeeze silently praying that she would feel him this time. At the same time, Sally had walked in with Aerrow's new medication and was about to call out to him when she saw whom he was talking to again. She silently closed the door and decided to let him finish before making her presence known. Aerrow nodded to himself.

"Piper, you're my friend and I want you to get better, alright?"

As he finished the sentence, Aerrow turned his head and gave the nurse a shy look. When a sad look passed over his eyes, Sally smiled sadly.

"Cheer up, sweetie. Everyday that you try means you're also one day closer to helping her wake up."

Aerrow looked up to Sally and gave her a small smile of appreciation.

Sally went to hand him the plastic medicine bottle and a small glass of boiled water to which he politely thanked her for and took. She watched with her soft-honeyed stare as he did what he was told, all the while still holding Piper's hand. But when Aerrow went to let go to reach for the glass of water he was shocked to find that he couldn't. Looking down excitedly, he grinned, nearly containing himself.

"Sally!" he called out to her in a harsh whisper. The nurse had just turned around eyeing something of interest in the room when Aerrow caught her attention. She went close to the side of Piper's bed and eyed the red head curiously.

"What is it, Aerrow?" she asked in a soft but urgent voice. Was something happening to Piper that she hadn't seen? She sometimes questioned herself - what kind of nurse was she to not pick up on or observe a patient's condition that even an eight-year-old boy could see better? She really needed to consider wearing glasses.

Then again... Aerrow was the only person who watched over Piper more than anyone else in the hospital.

When Aerrow didn't say anything to answer her question, she bent a little lower to rest a gentle hand on his frame.

"Aerrow?" she asked again. "What is it?"

He turned his head up to Sally's and instead of giving her a look of fear like she was expecting, he gave her the biggest smile she hadn't seen in days.

"Look," was all he said as he lifted the hand that holding Piper's. To Sally's surprise, Piper didn't let go and although the blue-haired girl still did not stir from her sleep, she held a grip on Aerrow's hand and was raised along with his own.

Aerrow didn't whoop, holler or cheer like Sally had anticipated. His usual happy-go-lucky demeanour was softened somehow and he regarded Piper with gentle eyes as he spoke.

"She knows I'm here," was all he said as he continued to watch Piper, the smile never leaving his face.

Something about the energy that surrounded him made the words in the nurse's mouth falter.

He was so intent on Piper responding to him that when she finally did, he had nothing to say but bask in the relief and pride that came with waiting. Aerrow was truly a character, and she hoped that Piper would be able to see that one day soon.

"I'm going to give Dr. Joseph (Piper's doctor) the wonderful news" she said happily as she withdrew her hand away from Aerrow's shoulder. Like an owl, Aerrow snapped his head back to her with such a speed that Sally hesitated.

"Wait!" he said quickly. Sally paused in her movement and waited.

"Can I have just a few more seconds among to Piper?" Aerrow smiled sheepishly and rubbed he back of his neck knowing how that must have sounded.

"It's just that after you do tell Dr. Joseph, then he'll come in here and spend hours checking on her," he tried to explain quickly. "Plus I... I skipped out on my daily practices today and I need to work o-!" Sally gave him a stern look. Dr. Crowe would not be happy if he heard about that.

"Aerrow..."

The red head laughed lightly and gave Sally a small smile before looking at her with puppy eyes. She instantly caved, sighing loudly as she did so.

"Fine," she said firmly but with a gentleness and amusement in her voice. "Just a few more minutes."

Aerrow smiled and turned to look back down to Piper again. He took her hand in both of his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You're doing it, Piper. You're almost there... …So where was I? Oh yeah! Heli-scooters!" Aerrow began energetically as he started up the conversation he was having with Piper before Sally had come in. "I don't know what colour you would like yours to be, Piper, but if I had one it would be blue with red streaks, just like Mom said Dad's was..."

Sally nothing else to Aerrow as he returned to talking to Piper.

Not a day went by where Aerrow didn't come to Piper and gave the ample attention she desperately needed. Into the third week, Aerrow told Sally that he was making progress with Piper, the thought of his own rehabilitation gone from his mind. He told her little things that told him that Piper was going to wake soon, little things her own doctors and nurses would not have picked up on if they weren't inspecting the little girl every day for hours like he was. Sally was sure to pass on the information to Piper's doctor, Dr. Joseph also commemorating Aerrow on his own efforts and letting him continue to monitor her when he couldn't.

"…and before breakfast this morning, I was _sure_ she moved her head, Sally!" he told her and Dr. Crowe one afternoon.

Sally could only smile.

"And what about your walking exercises?" the doctor asked. "How are you fairing, dear boy?"

"Good, doctor," Aerrow said quickly with a hand motion that suggested he wasn't particularly interested in the topic. Then seeing Sally's firm look, he froze and scratched his head with a shy grin. "I mean, really good! Some days when I walk over to Piper now, I don't even need to lean on it anymore. Like this one time, I was sure I saw her fingers move and I…" and he was off again on another Piper story.

Dr. Crowe and Sally didn't try to think much of his thoughts. They understood how much the health of a friend was so much more important to him than his own – even if that friend didn't really know him yet.

**Two weeks later...  
**

* * *

Aerrow was finishing off his dinner just as the radio segment about Terra Blizzarus was coming to an end. Sally suggested placing a radio in Aerrow's room as the weeks went by while he got better. She knew he was an informative kind of kid and was mature enough to understand and care about the issues that many of the news broadcasts were talking about. The topic was always about the Cyclonians attacking some terra or another. Besides, Aerrow was the one who had asked for the radio in the first place.

"...This has been Linda Yentl with the Blizzarian Regional council. And please, remember that if you of any information regarding the disappearance of the remaining striker crystals needed for the Atmosian battalion, please contact your terra's sky knight squadron as this is a very pivotal time..."

Just as the broadcast finished, Sally walked into Aerrow and Piper's room carrying a pile of new bed sheets.

She had a joke she wanted to tell Aerrow upon entering the room but seeing the hard and serious look on his face, she forgot it and was filled with a sadness she couldn't voice. No boy his age should ever feel the way he did. She was afraid to ask.

"Another attack?" she asked softly but sadly. She learned that with Aerrow, there was no sense in pretending that war didn't continue going on around them, as he remained safe in this hospital's bubble. Aerrow knew more than that.

He nodded curtly.

"There's still a war going on outside," he replied. He spoke in the same serious gentleness that he did the day Piper had clutched his hand tightly for the first time. Sally eyed him closely through sad honey-brown eyes before turning her back to him.

Aerrow noticed her frame suddenly tense up. The room felt awkward.

As she was busying herself with placing the sheets on a far table and fingering their frayed edges with her small fingers, Aerrow pushed himself higher up in his bed. His ribs didn't hurt anymore and the pain in his neck was gone although a dull pain still ached in his shoulder blade. A concussion and broken bones wouldn't stop him from living.

"What is it, Sally?" he asked slowly. He couldn't tell from his angle, but it looked like she was choking up about whatever it was she wanted to tell him.

"Sally?" he asked more cautiously. His heart was pounding in his chest. He took a guess before she opened her mouth again.

"It's not... about the war is it?" he asked slowly. Many ideas started to course through his mind about what it might all mean. "Are the... Cyclonians coming... here?"

At this her head snapped up to stare at the eight-year-old boy, her brown wispy hair whirling in her face. She regarded him with a deep stare, watching how his features seemed to tense and harden at the mention of the Cyclonian army.

"Oh no! Goodness no, Aerrow. We're in a safer quadrant of the Atmos. We're perfectly safe..." she said softly. Aerrow's mouth twitched. Somehow he didn't believe her tone. Sally was always hiding secrets, but he didn't say anything to voice his suspicions. He nodded politely.

After a few moments, Sally averted her gaze from Aerrow's calculating gaze and went to reach for her clipboard. When she looked back at him, her face had clicked back into a mask of happiness.

"Good news, honey!" she said excitedly though Aerrow could hear the strain in the back of her voice. "You'll be ready to leave the hospital any day now! Dr. Crowe says after a few more sessions, you won't need that walker and you can leave. Isn't that great?" Not even waiting to hear his response, Sally hurriedly left the room, mumbling quickly to him about seeing the receptionist as she walked out the door.

Aerrow watched her leave through wide eyes. Did he hear what he just heard?

"That's great, Sally" he said, although he was saying it more to himself.

Aerrow was numb, he could feel his legs tingle slightly and he wondered quickly if he would always feel that way. Was he really ready? He knew his legs were getting better and he was going to be able to walk normally again, and he was proud. He was proud that he could walk again and impress all the people in the hall. Now he could get out of the hospital and maybe in some way, find a way to help people in the war that was going on. It wasn't like he had any home to go to now.

He looked at the blanket that was covering his legs. It felt course and was itchy and he was suddenly reminded of his mom, missing the soft blankets she used to keep in his closet. If he went and tried to go back to his home, did he even have a home to go back to? What was left of his terra? What terras _were_ there left of? The thought made him look over to Piper.

The girl, with blue hair all frizzed from the pillow and a face peacefully sleeping, didn't know what was going on around her. What would happen when she finally woke up and discovered that her own terra was lost too? Aerrow furrowed his eyebrows. He was told countless times how different he was from other kids - what if she couldn't take the news like he had? Would Sally be able to comfort her, the way she did for him?

And as he thought about Piper, Sally, and the hospital he had grown attached to for months, he suddenly felt that leaving would be the worst thing he could do.

* * *

_~One more chapter to go! Hopefully it won't be too long since I'd hoped this fanfiction would've been only three chapters but I needed to add more depth to the characters and the story would've been chalky had I just jump right into the thick stuff. Sorry for any errors: ask if some things need to be clarified more. I'm not sure why I chose Joesph to be Piper's doctor - I think because I was thinking of my grandpa around the same time (lol!) and as for Dr. Crowe - well hey, they've got alot of bird names in the Storm Hawks universe, so why not add to the mix? So until tomorrow, hope you enjoyed the chapter._

_Much love, Abby~_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/n: ~Now without further adieu!_

* * *

**_Stirring: Chapter 4_**

**_June 3rd, 2011_**

**_by: Her Head in the Clouds_**

**March 8...  
**

* * *

"What did you wish for you, dear boy?" Dr. Crowe inquired as Aerrow pulled away from the candle smoke. He rubbed a hand behind his neck and looked down. The older man liked to ask him personal questions.

"I... wished for the war to be over." Aerrow said sheepishly gave the doctor a small smile. Had it been any other birthday, he would've asked for a new bike or finally for some sky skimmer lessons. But he knew in his heart that right now it was the only thing he really wanted.

"...and for Piper to wake up." he added quickly. When the stares began coming his way, he felt his ears burn up again. It wasn't only Dr. Crowe in the room, but also Dr. Andrew, Sally, Dr. Joseph, and three more nurses and two other adult patients he had made friends with during his stay in the hospital. He silently wished that the only other kid his age in this hospital wasn't still in a coma.

"Well, isn't that very sweet of you, Aerrow!" one the other nurses said happily. Aerrow looked down into the small cake with the smile still on his face.

"Not that grown-ups aren't nice or anything!" he said bashfully. "It'd just be nice to have another kid around." Everyone in the room laughed at his comment. Aerrow was such an honest boy.

"It's alright, Aerrow," Dr. Andrew said thoughtfully. "We understand."

"And don't worry," Dr. Joseph added. "We're doing our best to help her." Everyone nodded or smiled to offer their support as Aerrow stared over to Piper. They had seated around her bed to include her in the celebration while Aerrow sat in a comfortable armchair at her head. He turned his head back to all the smiling adults.

"Thank you for everything you're doing." he said shyly. It was moments like this that made the hospital workers that reminded them why they chose careers in medicine in the first place.

But as Aerrow looked down into small cake on his lap, he couldn't help but frown a little. He wished everything went back to the way it was, at least, to weeks before he had the radio placed in his room.

**Present...  
**

* * *

"Sally? ...Sally!"

She didn't hear him the second time. In fact, she had been doing that to Aerrow all week.

Aerrow couldn't understand why, but it always somehow brought him back to the idea that she was still hiding something from him. As a boy, it didn't a lot of time for someone of his age and with his personality to trust warm people like the nurse. He'd grown to like Sally, even saw her like a mom even though he desperately missed and wanted his own. But as she suddenly started trying to ignore him, Aerrow wasn't really scared, more... confused. And above all, hurt.

What was she keeping from him? Since the moment he'd woken up in the hospital, Sally's eyes though warm, honey-brown and caring, kept hiding secrets from him. He couldn't take it anymore. He was old enough to understand anything bad she could tell him. He'd just lost everything, what else could the Cyclonians do to him?

It was a cloudy day, but the heat of the summer season kept the fans running in the hospital and made the air feel thick. Aerrow was sitting at his bed, with his legs over the side. As he stared at a long scar on his left calf, he wiggled his toes. Sally was a good nurse, she wouldn't let anything bad happen to him. Whatever he asked for, she gave him and he couldn't hurt her feelings by accusing her of keeping secrets from him that she only meant to do because she cared about him. That's why he never spoke up about it or asked her if he was curious. It was her business and he couldn't poke in. But still... what if it was a really, REALLY bad secret that she had to keep from him?

The red headed boy frowned. He and his friends never had really bad secrets, and his mom told him everything (although sometimes he was certain that when they talked about his dad, she kept details out too). Were all ladies so secretive?

With a small huff, Aerrow carefully tried to lower his feet to the floor.

"Well, if she won't tell me," he whispered uncertainly to himself. "Then maybe I can find out for myself!"

As he pulled his legs to the floor, he stole a quick glance to Piper's bed. His walker ready only an arm's reach away from him. Just as his toes touched the cloth of his slippers, Sally walked in. Aerrow eyed her like a toddler caught with his hand in a cookie jar.

Sally wasn't even staring at him. She came in to collect a forgotten morphine bag and return it back to the reception desk. When she turned to glance at him, she paused. She must not have realised his movements before. She gave Aerrow an almost blank look as she tried to decipher what he needed.

"Aerrow honey, do you need something?" she asked mechanically. His lip tightened into a thin line. Why was Sally so down? It HAD to be connected to why she wouldn't look him in the eye anymore, but he couldn't say that. Instead, he shook his head and gave a quick and easy smile.

"No, uhm... it's okay, Sally. I don't want to bother you," he said quickly as he went to pull his legs back up onto the bed. "I was... thinking of going to the bathroom, but I'm okay now." He grinned shyly. Hopefully that wouldn't get her suspicious of him. She bought it. Sally gave him a wavering smile and nodded.

He didn't try to sneak out again after that.

**The next day...  
**

* * *

Aerrow bit his lip. Now that his walking was growing exceedingly well, almost near-perfect according to Dr. Crowe, and his injuries were nothing but scars and light bruises, according to Dr. Andrew, Aerrow felt his final day in the hospital coming closer and closer. He should've been happy, but was anything but.

He was anxious. What kind of world was Atmos like now outside the hospital doors? What did this terra look like in the middle of a war? Was it safe like Sally had said? Did the Cyclonians come anywhere near it?

Aerrow was mad. Were the skies red? Was there smoke? Did people still go missing? Were sky carriers still falling out of the sky? He clenched his fist.

He was scared. Where would he go? Were people still fighting and screaming and crying? If he left, would... would the hospital be all right?

He shook his head and for the first time in many weeks realised the familiar burn of tears of coming back to him. He didn't want to think about it, but images and ideas of Cyclonian soldiers destroying the hospital with its workers running away in the hallways flashed into his mind. He could almost see Dr. Crowe and Piper helpless while Dr. Andrew and Sally tried to do what they could to save them-!

"Ugh!" he choked.

Aerrow clutched his head and clenched his teeth. 'No!' he thought to himself. 'Don't think that! Don't think that!' Aerrow repeated it to himself for a few seconds as he tried to think about other things as he closed his eyes.

Walking, sky skimmers, his mom, Terra Mesa, Piper, sunshine, Sally...!

Aerrow immediately went back to thinking about Sally and her secretive behaviour. He frowned. Why was the world around him suddenly changing again? He thought of her robotic gaze and how it hurt him to think that the nurse, who was like a mother to him, couldn't trust him anymore.

He fisted his hand. She left an awful lot now to go to the receptionist - maybe he could sneak there to listen to what they might be talking about…

A wave of sadness washed over him. He could be risking a friendship with Sally or even worse, discover something terrible about himself, about Piper, or even the fighting going on outside.

Careful to check the time when Sally left for a prolonged period, Aerrow planned when and how he would sneak to the desk. He knew how to get there by himself and it wasn't very far. At the least, maybe there was a newspaper or some important documents that they had lying around the area that he could take and read. Doctors and nurses never talked about serious things with patients unless in secret or until they needed to tell. Aerrow believed if Sally had wanted to tell him, she would have already. Maybe she didn't believe he was strong enough to hear it or decided not to entirely. Either way, he was already frustrated with waiting and was now leaning over the side of the bed to get off. Aerrow normally walked in his pale-colored hospital slippers when he practised with his walker to get more of a slide on the floor tiles for easier strides. If this was going to be a stealth mission, he needed to move around more quickly - and that meant going it without the walker.

His heart pounded. This would be the first time that he would be walking without his walker! Was he even ready? He was sure that if Dr. Crowe or Sally found out, they'd be furious or at least be stern with him about not waiting until he was completely ready.

Aerrow eased himself down onto the floor as quickly and quietly as he could. A shock ran up his spine as his bare feet pressed on the cold white tiles. He wiggled his toes for the sensation, while still leaning for support on the bed with his arms. Without the walker, his knees bent slightly in hesitation and he had to fight to keep them straightened. Beyond that, he didn't have to remember which joint to bend and which foot to place in front the other. Cautiously he began to start moving, but not before throwing a stare to Piper's bed.

He wasn't sure why, but he felt she knew what he was doing. His ears turned red. What a strange feeling! Piper couldn't see or hear what he was doing or thinking. She was still asleep. Nothing more than a grip here, or a twitch there was all that she ever did.

His eyebrows creased. He felt guilty that he had to leave her. Other than Sally and her own doctors, Piper never got visitors from outside the hospital like he did. He wondered sometimes where her family was and if she had friends. She looked lonely. He wished that she was awake and could join him. They could've been on an adventure. Maybe Piper liked adventures.

**Aerrow left…  
**

* * *

About five minutes later, Aerrow had already made it passed three patient bedrooms and was two more bedrooms and a public washroom away from the reception desk. In the distance he could see Sally, about ten rooms away, talking with another patient and handling a big machine that he had never seen before; he guessed it was what they checked babies through.

Aerrow couldn't stop the grin on his face - how awesome was it that he could walk. Walk! Sure, he had to throw an arm to the wall on his right a couple times to steady himself but otherwise he was doing fine! If he weren't trying to be so sneaky, he would've run, jumped even (even though Dr. Crowe would've probably decided against it). It was an amazing feeling, remembering how to do something so simple. As he pressed one foot confidently in front the other, Aerrow swore to himself that he would never take simple things like walking for granted again.

A few more minutes later, after discreetly bypassing doctors and other nurses, and keeping his red hair as hidden out of view as possible, he managed to make it all the way to receptionist's desk without being seen. With some trouble, and a little luck on his side, he eased his way into a quick kneel and crawled slowly beneath the counter. It had a long extension and hid him well in the hustle and bustle of the hallway. Aerrow smiled proudly but wasted no time trying to reach a hand over the other side to grab any or all files he could. He felt many, and with some skills was able to pluck some sheets one by one. He read them over quickly, looking for words and names he knew in his nine-year-old vocabulary. When nothing came up, he placed it back up quickly and went digging again. Just when he had found two papers with the words, 'Piper' and 'physiotherapy', and grasped what had felt like a newspaper on the countertop, Sally's voice grew louder and Aerrow knew she was coming back the desk.

Like a flame, Aerrow drew his hand away quickly from the edge of the counter and tried to make himself as small as he could. If his heart weren't pounding so much from getting caught, he would've jumped up and scared her. He grinned to himself and listened to what she was saying.

"...and I can't believe how strong of a spirit that kid's got," he heard. He strained his ears more. "But if I tell him, he may never want to leave here and I think that's it for the best that he should get a discharge and recruit with a school nearby."

Aerrow knew she was talking about him and the day when he would leave the hospital. His mouth pulled down into a little frown. He didn't understand the situation the way she did. Why couldn't Sally and Dr. Andrew just let him stay in the hospital after he got better? He could help with the other patients! It didn't look so hard the way they did it. Yeah, maybe he could ask Sally when she came back to his room.

"Because when he finds out about Piper..."

Aerrow blinked. What about Piper?

"But you've gotta tell him soon, Sal," the voice sounded like it was coming from the other side of the desk. _'That must be the receptionist_,' Aerrow thought. "You're givin' him a false hope that she'll wake up soon, and everyone knows he's lookin' after of her. He won't wanna leave till he's sure she's gonna wake up."

Something in Aerrow broke down a little. He didn't really get the full understanding of that sentence, but he knew one thing for certain: something was wrong with Piper that he didn't know about.

"I know," Sally spoke again. "I will. I want to tell Aerrow... We're all just… still waiting until her medication finally gets sent here. But with all the ships going down in the centre quadrants, it's almost like waiting for rain in a drought, you know?" Aerrow was sure he could hear Sally ready to cry and it made his eyes begin to water too. Looking down to the paper in his hand that had Piper's name on it, he clutched it tightly. There was no way he was going to leave now, not when he knew what was going now.

"Just pray for a miracle, Sal," the receptionist said encouragingly. "Or at least for a few shards of those blue striker crystals. I hear they've got special healing abilities-!"

Suddenly, a huge explosion was heard and the whole floor of the hospital shook with force. As if on cue, people began screaming, machines went off beeping and Sally's feet (along with the rest of the other hospital workers) had gone into action. Aerrow threw his arms over his head in defence, watching as dust began to fall from the ceiling.

He thought of only one thing: Cyclonians.

* * *

_~Okay so I lied, this isn't the last chapter. But I thought it would be! But as I got into it, the pages got longer, the scenes became more descriptive, and I started to develop carpel tunnel in my left hand so… UNTIL TONIGHT! This cliffhanger will be your nightmare. So be sure to join me for the closing of this story, and I'll see you all again. And thanks again for reading!_

_Much love, Abby~_


	5. Chapter 5

_~Everything must come to an end._

* * *

_::Dedications to all of you who have stuck by me. But a special dedication for this final chapter to Aussie Sheila, for reasons only we know._

* * *

**_Stirring: Chapter 5_**

**_June 3rd, 2011_**

**_by: Her Head in the Clouds_**

* * *

When Aerrow got out from under the counter, Sally was gone and in her place was a disaster of strewn papers, fallen machinery, and hysterical patients and workers. Before he could decide what to do, another explosion was heard and shook the hospital again, causing him to retreat under the counter once more.

What was happening? What was going on? Were they under attack? What could he do? Aerrow didn't know any ways to fight off Cyclonians! Sure, he'd learnt some defensive combat many summers back, and hi s mom thought it was okay that he was taught to handle dual-wielding wooden swords with a local sensei in their neighbourhood, but he wasn't good enough to do anything to protect himself!

A loud crash was heard as something that sounded like an elephant-ant fell in the hallway behind him. He got on his knees.

"I've gotta get outta here!" he yelled to himself. Looking down, he noticed that he was still holding the papers he'd taken from the counter before the explosion happened. "Piper!"

After hearing what he'd heard about the poor girl from secretly listening in on Sally and the receptionist's conversation, he felt this enormous need to be beside her and protect her, should anything happen. With a deep breath for courage, he quickly crawled out from under the countertop and began to crawl quickly towards the wall. He figured that if he needed to get back to his room fast enough, he was going to have to rely on using the wall the hold him up better so he could walk quicker.

As he made his way closer towards it, another explosion, sounding much closer than the last two, blew a sensation of power through the hallway that had him, along with multiple chairs and two doctors, lifted off their feet and rolling into the rubble on the floor.

The doctors hadn't seen him and jumped up into nearby patient rooms to check the condition of the people inside. Aerrow hit the side of metal cabinet and a familiar pain rose in his side and a cut on his lip split open. Groaning in pain, he tried to get up quickly on his legs. The explosion had him nearly wedged between the cabinet and a small couch that his small frame was almost unrecognizable behind the furniture. A red light began going off and a sound like an emergency horn was blaring loudly in his ears. Aerrow gripped the couch as he wiped the blood from his mouth.

_'Not again_,' was all he thought.

Suddenly a loud crunching noise from behind Aerrow made him turn around. In the blur of the smoke and dust that was beginning to form at the end of the south hallway, he saw the outlines of tall men, both burly and lanky, holding what looked like staffs with glowing red crystals at their heads. Despite his growing fear, Aerrow narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth.

"_Cyclonians_."

They began to walk swiftly through the rubble, entering each room as they passed, before coming back out and moving onto the next ones. Aerrow heard sounds of older men and women screaming accompanied with the dull sizzle of a crystal being activated and a red flash that lightened the whole hallway. He didn't need to know what the word massacre was to understand what they were doing - they were sending Atmosians a message from Cyclonia.

Aerrow panicked. He needed to get out of the hallway and back into his room with Piper. As he tried to ignore the pain in his side, he hoped that Sally was already there with her.

"Aah!" he cried painfully. Aerrow dropped to his knees.

A sharp pain was cutting through his legs as he quickly tried to straighten them out. He had never had this kind of pain before. It was shooting all up his legs and down into his feet. Aerrow closed his eyes and bent his head down. Why did his legs hurt so much? They felt like they were being ripped apart and his muscles felt tight. He instinctively tried to massage them with his hands as his eyes blurred. He instantly regretted trying to walk without his walker.

"I...I-I have to get back! G-get back to the...!" he stopped as he heard the Cyclonians' boots crunch closer in his direction. Fear pricked every fibre of his body. Would they kill him when they saw him? He kept his eyes shut.

"How dare you? How _dare_ you! Do you know what it is that you are _DOING_ here?" Dr. Andrew's voice bellowed over the sound of the chaos in the hallway. Aerrow opened his eyes and turned his head behind him and saw the white long coat of Dr. Andrew as he came up right in front of the Cyclonians. Aerrow widened his eyes.

"This is a hospital! Atmosia wants peace! You won't get away with this!" his voice was heard again.

"Are we gonna have to shoot a hole through you too?" laughed a scratchy, dark voice that Aerrow could only guess belonged to one of the Cyclonians.

"Give me that staff!" Dr. Andrew cried before what sounded like a struggle began. Aerrow couldn't see through his painful tears but it sounded like Dr. Andrew had grabbed hold of one of the men and now several of them were trying to pry him away.

"Ugh!..Argh!...Aah!..._Aaaarrrgh_!"

Then a crystal staff activated, the room flashed red, and Dr. Andrew dropped dead. Aerrow gasped horrifically.

They just... they had just...

Some shuffling was heard again as the Cyclonians tried to regain their composure, then they began walking again, nearly a foot away from where Aerrow had his body recoiling in and out of pain. He shut his eyes again, this time, real tears falling down his cheeks as he waited for them to see them.

But after a couple of moments, he realised they had completely bypassed him and continued their walk toward the other patient rooms. He slowly opened his eyes. Did they not see him? He visibly shook as he watched the retreat of their backs move further into the hospital. These men, these very same men, represented everything that had taken his past life away from him. He sat frozen as a hiccup escaped his throat before he angrily wiped the tears away from his eyes.

They took one life away from him. They would not take his second.

Aerrow slowly turned his head around to where Dr. Andrew had been standing. He choked back a sob as he saw a limp outline of his doctor lying face down on the floor.

Why was he even looking at Dr. Andrew's dead body? He didn't know why, until he realised what Dr. Andrew lying a few feet away from.

A satchel with the Cyclonian insignia printed on it... was glowing blue.

Aerrow didn't know what it meant, but gulping hard and biting all the pain of his legs down, he turned his body around and tried to kneel up into a standing position.

_'Just like Dr. Crowe always says before I get up from a fall..._' he thought sombrely.

He hoped the kindly old doctor was still... Aerrow pushed the thought to the back of his mind and quickly focused his attention on getting to the bag near Dr. Andrew's body.

When he reached it, he bent down and picked it up, carefully inspecting it as he opened up its contents. Inside he found four brightly glowing blue crystals, all vibrating in a united energy that nearly blinded Aerrow's green eyes.

He blinked widely. What did they do? He had never seen these kinds of crystal before. Only the occasional cooking and engine crystals were what he was used to. He decided to take them since Dr. Andrew had seemingly tried to take them away from the bad Cyclonians. Slipping them in the deep pocket of his hospital pyjama pants, he gave Dr. Andrew's body one last grieving look before he painfully made his way back to where he had meant to go in the first place: his room.

As he finally neared his room with the support of the wall, he was horrified to find that Cyclonians had already reached it and were just finishing coming out and heading the next one. He glared at them as they began talking to one another though they couldn't see him.

"Got her good?" one of them asked.

"Nah, she's already dead," one of them answered back. "Bet it was Snips. He's one hell of sniper" he chucked with his comrades before they continued on their tirade. The rest of their activity was lost to Aerrow's attention.

_Already dead?_ But that meant-

"Piper?" he whispered to himself. Moving more quickly, he held his side as he edged himself on faster to his room. When he reached the doorframe, he didn't even care if the Cyclonians heard him and came rushing back.

"Piper?"

He saw Piper at her bed, still looking the same as she always did when she slept. He walked into the room fearing the worst. But as he neared Piper's bedside, he heard the familiar beeping of her heart monitor. Aerrow outwardly sighed. She was alive. She was alive...

But wait. Who then, were they talking about?

Aerrow scanned the room quickly and to his terror saw Sally slouched against the wall behind Piper's bed. Her arms were limp at her sides at her legs didn't support her. Her eyes were wide open with fear but they did not see.

She had a small hole in the middle of her stomach.

Aerrow fell to his knees shaking. This had to be a nightmare. He crawled up to Sally despite the fear of looking into her dead face. He needed to wake. Gently, Aerrow grasped her shoulders and gave her a tight hug shaking wildly as he silently sobbed into her shoulder. _Why couldn't he wake up?_

"I'm sorry, Sally... I'm sorry..." Aerrow whispered. He wasn't sure what he was apologizing for but he kept on repeating it, over and over, crying as he hugged her. He was sure her blood was on his clothes.

Everything around Aerrow seemed to come to a freeze. The alarms and explosions and screaming seemed like they were miles away.

"Sally, I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

"Hn..."

He was sure he was going to die, and he couldn't do anything about it.

"I'm sorry, Sally... Sally…"

"Hnn...A..."

"I'm so sorry..."

"Ae...Aerro...?"

Then Aerrow heard it. A voice. But it wasn't Sally's.

"Aer...row? ...Aerrow?"

A high-pitched, scratchy voice was calling him, and he didn't need to think twice to wonder who it was.

Slowly, Aerrow lifted his head out of his Sally's shoulder and turned around behind him. He saw Piper's dark fingers move slowly on the bed, though her head did not move.

Carefully he let go of Sally and placed her back in the position he found her, a piece of his heart leaving him as he turned his back on her and got up to go to Piper.

Aerrow walked slowly, careful not to scare her, but more curious of what she looked like finally awake. When he near enough, he finally saw her.

Piper's eyes were droopy from sleep and confusion as he stared into her warm orange eyes. Her mouth was a thin line of curiosity and she gave him a deep stare as she looked at him. Even though Aerrow was a boy, he knew a pretty girl when he saw one. And she was probably smart too.

He blinked.

"Wait," he finally said to her. "You... said my name." She gave him a look that almost asked him if he was stupid.

"Of course I did," she said hoarsely. "You're Aerrow." She said it in a way that seemed like she was supposed to know have him, perhaps even for a long time. Which was impossible to Aerrow, he'd only known her for a few months and in that time all he did was talk. His green eyes widened.

"You could hear me..." he whispered, more to himself than to her.

It wasn't at all how he imagined first meeting Piper when she woke up. He'd hoped that Sally and all his friends were with them and that could have given her a big party. She didn't deserve to wake up surrounded by all this, seeing the first person she laid eyes on crying and covered in blood. Yet despite the situation going on, he gave her a quick and small smile.

It was couple of moments before Piper realised was what going on around her. She lifted her head from the pillow slowly and looked around the room with frantic eyes. When she turned back to him, her eyes were adamant with fear and anger.

"Where's my daddy? What happened to the sky carrier? Where am I? And..." she stared down at the IV lodged into her right hand. "_Wh_…_What is this?"_

Before Aerrow could calm her, tears had already begun sliding down her face and she was gasping heavily for air. She clenched her teeth and wiped bitterly at the tears, telling him that she was not a girl who liked to cry or be weak in front of people. He had to do something.

"Piper..." he whispered calmly. "Piper, I promise that I will tell you everything, but first we need to get out of here!" Piper paused in her attempt to pull out the IV and gave him a scared look.

"...Why?" she asked quietly, her orange eyes still wet with fear.

"Because there are Cyclonians here and if we don't get out of here soon, they're going to find us!" The statement was enough to send Piper into shock. Her head dropped back into her pillow and she was looking at the ceiling, trying to find some answers, but her tears and the erratic increased beeping of her heart monitor was preventing her from doing so.

Aerrow realised and gently grabbed her right hand.

"Piper, look at me," he said, repeating the same words that Sally had to him the first day he woke up.

"Focus on me, okay? You've got to calm down. Calm down, all right? Just breathe more slowly. Do it with me, okay? Breathe…" He made a slow inhale and exhale to which Piper was smart enough to follow. They did it a couple more times.

Aerrow quickly lifted his head to the device above her then dropped it back down to her. His eyes were wide with alert but Piper watched him obediently and tried to relax. He sighed and felt relieved.

"Now please, come with me," he said tugging her hand. "We've got to get out of here!"

Piper nodded and went to lift her head again before realising that the room was spinning and bent forward heavily to collect herself.

"I can't," she panted. "The room is spinning."

Aerrow frowned guiltily. How could he have forgotten that she had been sleeping for months before today? Of course she didn't have any energy to get up right away. He almost felt stupid for trying to force her to move. But then how were they supposed to get out of the hospital? The Cyclonians would be back soon and would find and kill them like everyone else.

_Everyone else_... he wondered how many people were still left alive in the hospital. It made his heart heavy and made his spirit fall... and surprisingly, made his left thigh burn.

Then he remembered.

_'The crystals!'_ he thought quickly. Quickly reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the bag and opened it, letting the crystals fall into Piper's lap. Piper's eyes widened.

"Where did you get these?" she exclaimed, forgetting to whisper. Aerrow didn't hear her as he was talking to himself.

"That reporter lady said that sky knight's needed this to fight... and that receptionist Sally was talking to said they have special healing abilities..."

"Aerrow," Piper called him again, using his name this time. "Do you know what these crystals are?"

"Not really," he said sheepishly. "But I think I can guess..."

Aerrow quickly turned around and went back to Sally. He kneeled down beside her body and gave her a fleeting look of sadness before closing her eyelids in respect. Then gazing at her neck, Aerrow reached up and carefully unclasped the leather necklace around her neck, pulling out the dull brown crystal that hung from it and placing it in her shirt pocket. He hoped Sally wouldn't mind. It was his only shot.

Then getting back up he walked back to Piper's bed and after carefully picking up the smallest crystal he could find, he fit it onto the necklace.

"What are you doing?" Piper innocently asked as she watched him the whole way. Aerrow stared the necklace, surprised that the shard fit, then without hesitation reached over to Piper and clasped it around her small neck. Piper was alarmed but didn't say a word. She must have felt weird wearing a dead woman's necklace.

When he was done clasping it, he pulled away and gave her a soft look.

"I heard that this crystal might help you heal faster. I hope it does."

Piper looked at him for a moment longer before giving him the first smile he had ever seen on her. Aerrow smiled back and helped her take off her IV. Piper rubbed her eyes, trying to push down her tiredness.

"Okay, so there are Cyclonians," Piper said carefully thinking about the situation again. "How do we get out if they are in the hallway?"

Aerrow bit his lip. He was still thinking about that. Without even really thinking about it, he stared down into the crystals again.

"I don't know..." he said with fear clearly in his voice. Piper stared at him for some time and then onto the crystals like he was. She wasn't sure if it really was the crystal around her neck but she was immediately starting to feel a bit better and less dizzy. Suddenly a thought came to her.

"I have an idea!" she said confidently as she tried to push the blankets aside to get off the bed. Aerrow went to steady her, as he remembered the first day he was allowed out of bed and he couldn't stand. Granted Piper was doing better than he was since she hadn't broken both her legs in the crash.

"What is it?" Aerrow asked as he went to collect the remaining crystals from under her blanket when it looked like she could stand by herself. As he carefully placed them into his hands, Aerrow took note of everything about Piper that he had just learnt.

She was a quick thinker and she talked a lot more smarter than most of the girls he knew from his home. Or maybe, it was just because of everything that was happening around him that she couldn't have time to think about anything else like he was. Piper was skinny, probably because she hadn't eaten right since she came to the hospital. He also realised she was the same height as him.

"Do you know what floor we are in this building?" she asked. Aerrow raised an eyebrow. That was a strange question.

"Um... the main floor?" As he answered, a loud explosion shook the hospital again and almost knocked them both off their feet. Good thing the bed was right there. Piper was staring at the window.

"So if we blow up that wall then the ground would be on the other side?" she tilted her head in a calculating way. Aerrow blinked.

"Hey, yeah. You're right!" he said. Aerrow realised just how smart Piper was. He was starting to like her. Then he scratched his head.

"Wait, but how are we gonna do that?"

Piper stared at the wall for a moment longer, before walking over and taking two of the glowing blue crystals out of his hands. She gave him a quick smile despite how tired she still looked - but Aerrow knew the crystal around her neck must've been working. Then without any other explanation, Piper stood in front of the wall and touched the two crystals together out in front of her.

"Move!" she told him. Aerrow did what he was told but gave the girl a worried look.

"Piper, wait! Be careful!" he called out. Suddenly the two crystals glowed a brilliant blue in her hands and before he knew what was happening, a strange energy exploded from the crystals and broke down the wall into front of them. Bright sunshine and a strong breeze blew into the room, washing a clean smell of air over Aerrow. He stared wide-eyed at the young girl as he walked over to her.

"How... did you do that?" he asked still astonished. Piper smiled shyly and gave him back the crystals.

"My daddy taught me. He's very smart and knows a lot about crystals" she said proudly. Aerrow continued to stare at her. Never had he met a girl, let alone a kid, ever do that before.

"Hey, what was that?"

"I think it came from back here!"

"Oh no!" Piper whispered. The Cyclonians were coming back.

"Come on, it's our only way out!" he whispered quickly. Aerrow grabbed her hand and ran through the hole in the wall and dashed down what look like the side of a hill.

They were panting and groaning as they kicked their feet against the dirt and grass. Aerrow had to think quickly. Where could they go? This terra was enormous and with so many Cyclonians everywhere, they wouldn't be able to find anywhere safe to hide. They needed to get OFF the terra!

"There!" Piper cried, pointing at something some yards away from where they were running. Aerrow looked and realised Piper must have read his mind. A whole fleet of Cyclonian skimmers and heli-scooters were parked and they appeared to be left alone without a Cyclonian in sight. It caused the two of them to push on harder and faster towards their only chance for escape.

Once they reached, Aerrow ran towards the farthest skimmer and checked its gauges and fuel supply.

"Do you know how to fly this?" Piper asked uncertainly as she came over panting and leaning a small hand on the front of the skimmer. Aerrow's heart was pounding in his chest as he finished looking it over.

"I, uh... only had four lessons," he said shamefully. Seeing the look of fear in Piper's face he quickly added, "But I can fly it! I can land and take off good, and that's all we'll have to do right? Once we find another terra!"

"But who knows how far that closest one is, Aerrow! And it's... it's so high!" Piper said urgently, in a tone that suggested that maybe she wasn't a big flyer or big sky lover. Aerrow could've teased her had this been any other situation entirely but he understood what she meant and urgently tried to reassure her.

"Piper, come on! We gotta get outta here! Trust me, I'm a good flyer! I won't let anything happen to us! Swear!"

Piper rubbed her arms self-consciously as she shook with fear. Watching Aerrow get on to mount to skimmer made her eyes water and tear over. This was all really happening. An hour ago she swore she was dreaming about her grandma's soup and a giant bowl of ice cream - now she was awake in a world of death and fear and war, with only a boy and his dangerous idea to fly over ten thousand leagues of cloud and nothing else. _This was a nightmare, she had to still be sleeping!_

Aerrow broke her out her shock by yelling at her. When she looked at him with terrified eyes, he offered her his hand to help her up onto the skimmer. He had the same look of fear and sadness on his face.

"I know it's scary, Piper. I know..." he said softly but the urgency was still shaking in the rest of his body. "But we can't give up! They're not gonna us..."

Piper sniffed and wiped her face angrily. She nodded harshly, clearly still upset with what she had been thrown into. But if Aerrow was scared and alone too, then she could stop being a baby and suck it up for the both of them.

"O-okay Aer-row…" she choked.

Then grabbing his hand, he helped her onto the skimmer in front of him, turned on the engine, made sure she was secure, and took off.

The sun was bright…

The two flew for what felt like hours. The wind was so strong, they had to squeeze so tightly to the body of the skimmer that they couldn't feel their legs. In only thin white, pin-striped pyjama tops and pants, the temperature dipped so low, Piper's teeth chattered behind her crying and Aerrow's body shivered as he silently cried. Ever so often they would call each other over the sound of the brash winds and ask if the other was all right. Both knew it would be impossible to feel all right.

With the terra gone and the hospital forever etched into Aerrow's memory, the red headed boy wondered what he and Piper would do now. Where could they go? If the Cyclonians had reached that terra, they had probably landed on every other terra nearby. Even if they went to the next terra over, both kids would be facing death, or be forced to recruit into a Cyclonian academy to train them like soldiers. The latter might as well be death to Aerrow. With no other option, and no beacon of hope like a hidden, undiscovered terra to magically form in the clouds for the both of them to hide in, Aerrow let out a sob, gripping the skimmer's handles tightly as he did so.

Piper didn't say anything as she heard him break down behind her. As quickly as she could, she carefully turned herself around on the skimmer and faced him, giving him a tight hug for support. Her hair whipped in his face, making it hard to see properly as he flew the vehicle, but he didn't care.

And as they continued to fly off into the sky, sealing their fates for whatever they would and have to encounter, both Aerrow and Piper knew: it was them.

Just them. Both together, and alone.

END.

* * *

_~This story had little relation to the original course plot of the TV show but I'm glad._

_I am such a fluffy writer, jeez lol! Sorry if it exceeded your reading limit, but I'm happy regardless because this is my First Ever Completed Multi-Chapter Story so I'm uber proud. Sorry if I threw you off with any surprises or spelling errors (remembs to PM me if you want clarification!). __As of right now, I'm happy with this ending so I won't plan to surprise you with a hidden chapter. _

_I know they might've had expressions that are probably out of character for eight-yr-olds but since I haven't been in the presence of any eight-yr-olds lately I had to draw from memory. Also, I always thought that Piper should have inherited her smarts from somebody and I believe an interesting backstory like her father having been a crystal scientist or something might've been great so that's why I wrote it as such; who knows I might make a story with it! ;)_

_Thanks for reading my fanfiction, Stirring, especially to all you reviewers and discreet readers. You're all grand! ;D I have many more ideas/stories to come so be sure to visit my profile in the future, but until then thanks again, and stay gold._

_Much love and happy readings, Abby~_


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